Shimla: Taking the enormity of the fraud played out and the amount involved, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has refused to grant bail to two accused persons who duped a doctor of Rs 45 lakhs on the pretext of setting up a nursing college at Palampur.
The case pertains to Dr Rajiv Bedi, an oncologist working at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, who came in contact with one Pooja Sharma in 2008, while treating her mother.
Pooja, who posed as an IAS officer working with the Himachal government along with two other persons, Mohit Sharma and Parveen impressed upon Bedi to open a nursing college at Palampur.
The trio by involving three others Subhash Chand, Rulia Ram and Rakesh Kumar are alleged to have hatched a conspiracy to purchase land at Palampur.
Some land was shown to Bedi, a false agreement is alleged to have been prepared by Subhash Chand and Rakesh Kumar impersonating as owners of the land and Rs 45 lakhs are said to have been taken on different occasions for the purpose.
With the deal falling through, a case was registered and Mohit Sharma and Parveen Kumar were arrested on 5.9.2011. Pooja Sharma absconded and is yet to be arrested.
However the three other accused in the case, Rakesh Kumar, Subhash Chand and Rulia Ram were granted bail by the Palampur judicial magistrate on 23.8.2011.On the basis of parity, Sharma and Parveen, who have been languishing in jail since 5th September, petitioned the courts for grant of bail.
High Court judge, Justice Kuldip Singh rejecting the bail application of the duo, observed, “the investigation is mid way. Keeping in view the seriousness of the case and allegations against the petitioners, no case has been made out for grant of bail.
Pooja Sharma the brain behind the conspiracy has gone underground and she is to be arrested, the judge noted.
Regarding the question of parity with three other co-accused in the case, who are out on bail, the court recorded that additional session judge Kangra has in a suo motu action served notice to Subhash Chand, Rulia Ram and Rakesh Kumar as to why the bail granted by Palampur judicial magistrate on 23.8.2011 be not cancelled.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
